Former minister Heather Humphreys has been confirmed as the sole nominee for Fine Gael to contest the upcoming Presidential Election, which is set to take place on 24 October.
In a statement, the Fine Gael party said that Ms Humphreys will go forward for ratification on 13 September.
Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has congratulated Ms Humphreys on her nomination.
He said: "Heather is a woman of integrity, dignity, and heart. In an increasingly divisive world, I believe Heather can break down barriers and bring people together."
Minister for Housing and Local Government James Browne will sign the presidential order tomorrow at lunchtime, which will set polling day for Friday 24 October.
Mr Browne discussed the matter with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister of State Sean Canney this morning.
A memo will go before tomorrow's Cabinet meeting.
Once the order for the Presidential Election is made by Minister Browne, there will be a period of 21 days before the close of nominations. That would mean candidates have to secure a nomination before 24 September.
This will be a keen point of interest for any candidates hoping to secure the required support from four Local Authorities in order to run for the Áras.
Yesterday, Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly withdrew from the race, saying he "reluctantly" did so after it became clear to him that he would not receive enough support to contest the party's selection process.
Mr Kelly said in a statement that he gathered 12 nominations, short of the 20 required. He added that he wished Ms Humphreys the best for the upcoming campaign.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin spoke to Bob Geldof last Friday about the election.
Government sources said an approach was made to Mr Martin on behalf of Mr Geldof in the days beforehand and the phone call was made as a courtesy.
During the call, the Taoiseach outlined to Mr Geldof that Fianna Fáil has its own process and that he was backing a candidate.
Fianna Fáil TD Billy Kelleher said that he has more than sufficient numbers to go forward as a candidate at next Tuesday's meeting where the party will decide who it will run.
The backing of five members of the parliamentary party are required to get a nomination for the internal contest.
Already former Dublin manager Jim Gavin has the support of 24 members of the 71 person parliamentary party.
However, more than 40 members of the party have not declared either way, leading some to predict that this will be a tight election.
Some TDs and senators have spoken privately of being under intense pressure to make a declaration but they are refusing to do so.
